


Leave a Light On

by zwolftenaugust



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 18:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zwolftenaugust/pseuds/zwolftenaugust
Summary: Had Chanyeol not listened to his own rage and deleted Yifan’s newest phone number, they would’ve met him already by now. But who would’ve known that one day, two strangers from half across the globe would come to see Kris Wu and crash into his apartment?





	Leave a Light On

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shahondin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shahondin/gifts).

> Dear recipient, thank you so much for the lovely prompts! I was really excited when I saw this one, and I had a lot of scenarios in mind but in the end I decided to go with this path. I hope you like it! I apologize beforehand for some errors, that it is my first time writing again after two years.
> 
> Thank you to A Yeolliepop Day mod who brought back this wonderful exchange and has been really patient with me.
> 
> Please enjoy!

** _[Subject: Meeting Appointment Request]_ **

_Chief Executive Officer, Wu Yifan_

_Atlantic Centennial Group_

_Dear Sir,_

_I hope to find you hearty enough. I am writing on behalf of Veronika Dvorak to request a meeting with you to discuss a family issue._

_I, Chanyeol Park, along with Kyungsoo Doh as my partner, will be attending the meeting as guardians and guides to Sophia Dvorak and Katerina Dvorak._

_As you may know, Veronika Dvorak has had a good personal relationship with you some years ago, and in the light of her pass, her family are deeply keen to meet you again in person after they came to Korea last week._

_We look forward to the opportunity to meet you to discuss the issue. I will contact your office to determine your availability to meet with us. Thank you for your consideration of this request._

_Sincerely,_

_Chanyeol Park_

“Is this okay? Should I send it?”

A hand flies past him and pushes the ‘send’ button. Chanyeol shrieks.

“Tone down the scream, you might wake Sophia up,” Kyungsoo slaps his upper arm, making him flinch and take a quick glance to his bed. Thankfully, the little girl on it is still sleeping soundly.

Chanyeol looks back at the computer screen in front of him. It’s because of his own foolishness that they are at the setback now. Had he not listened to his own rage and deleted Yifan’s newest phone number, they would’ve met him already by now. But who would’ve known that one day, two strangers from half across the globe would come to see _Kris Wu_ and crash into his apartment?

Chanyeol’s room door opens; Katerina comes in with a kettle and two mugs. “Tea?”

“Thank you, Katerina. You don’t have to,” Kyungsoo answers smoothly in English. He is a literal godsent to Chanyeol; he wouldn’t dare imagine how it would’ve happened if he had to face two foreigners alone with his minimal English skill. He understands English, yet his tongue still tied whenever he tries to speak the language.

“It’s nothing, thank you so much for letting us live here,” she smiles gratefully. “Any news from Kris?”

“We just sent an email to his office, since we don’t know his current personal phone number because someone deleted it,” Kyungsoo glares at Chanyeol, who immediately shrinks in his seat. “Hopefully his secretary forwards it to him and he contacts us soon.”

“We should just pray and wait,” Katerina turns to Chanyeol. “It must be hard for you, yet you still help us. Thank you so much.”

“No…” Chanyeol tries to refute, because he doesn’t know how he feels right now. “I will help. Don’t worry.”

Helping his ex’s daughter find her father? How one is supposed to feel? He tries to Google it, but no answer available.

*****

To be completely honest, Chanyeol hasn’t officially broken up with Yifan. It was Chanyeol’s idea that they should just broke up after Yifan called him from Hong Kong, a month after his sudden leaving to attend his father’s funeral, to inform him that his father wrote his name as the heir of his company against his wishes. Yifan asked him to wait for a year, for him to manage everything left by his father in the company before he can come back to Korea, yet Chanyeol that day wouldn’t have it.

Now he thinks back, he didn’t know what came to him to make that final decision. He was about to ask Yifan to marry him, actually, he even had a ring ordered, so he was deeply hurt when Yifan made him wait for a year as if it was an easy task to do. Anything can happen in a year, and honestly? Chanyeol was really afraid that Yifan used that excuse to distant himself from him.

_Maybe Yifan was tired of him and wanted to have a break. That was why Yifan asked him to wait, instead of to come to Hong Kong to live with him._ Kyungsoo, after learning about their major breakup and moving in to his and Yifan’s shared apartment, told him that he was stupid, but Chanyeol had ignored that comment. Now that he has time to mull over it, he admits that he is indeed stupid.

He even deleted Yifan’s Hong Kong phone number out of rage. Now, he had to send a formal letter to his group company email and pray that Yifan will call him soon.

Like Katerina had said, he can only wait and see. If Yifan doesn’t get back at him, he will try to find another way later.

Yet a week has passed and no email reply comes to his inbox, Chanyeol starts to feel anxious. Kyungsoo so much as bans him from his own kitchen, given that he is very jittery even when sitting. No one would know when he will accidentally cut his own finger and bleed to death, and Kyungsoo, by his own words, would rather not take risks and be left with messy dead body.

And now, that Kyungsoo and Katerina are cooking, Chanyeol is left alone with Yifan’s daughter. Sophia is a really sweet child, he knows it from their first meeting, but his language limitation makes him feel awkward with her. The little girl never judges him, though, and he should be closer by now, but still. He cannot see a little resemblance of Yifan in her facial features and not be freaked out by that. She even inherited Yifan’s clumsy legs and the tendency on tripping over thin air.

The said girl looks up from the drawing book she’s working on, meeting Chanyeol’s stare. Flabbergasted, he grins in guilty that she caught him staring. She smiles back at him before she climbs onto the sofa and sits beside him.

“Chanyeol,” she calls him softly with awkward European accent. “Duck,” she then points at the picture on the book. “Do you like ducks?”

He wants to answer that yes, he likes duck, especially the Peking Duck he ate with Yifan when they visited Beijing two years ago, but he’s sure she means duck as an animal, so he gives her a simple “yes”.

“My mom liked ducks and she often went to the pond to see them,” she tells him. “So I like them.”

Chanyeol immediately feels a big pang inside his chest. Veronika, Sophia’s mother, was Yifan’s girlfriend when he studied in Czech way before he met Chanyeol in Korea. She didn’t tell Yifan that she got pregnant, kept their child and raised her by herself until she died in an accident 6 months ago. Katerina, Veronika’s mother, thought it was only fair for her granddaughter to meet her real father, so they came to Seoul and immediately headed to Chanyeol’s apartment address because that is the most recent whereabout of Yifan they could find on the internet.

“She must be happy to see ducks because she liked cute things,” Chanyeol smiles at her and half-hugs her with his long arm. “Just like her cute daughter.”

“I’m not a duck!” Sophia squeals and headbutts his chest, but Chanyeol knows that she actually likes it. He keeps calling her duck and tickles her sides, making the little girl shriek in glee.

“Don’t exhaust her, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo comes into the room to reprimand him, but not without a hint of fondness in his tone. “Dinner’s ready.”

It is after he tucks Sophia to his bed and goes to Kyungsoo’s room to get some sleep himself, a new email comes to his phone.

_ **[Subject: Hi Chanyeol]** _

“Kyungsoo-yah!” Chanyeol all but runs to the kitchen where his friend and Katerina are washing the dishes. “Kyungsoo-yah! Come here now!”

“What?” Kyungsoo irritably takes off his apron and follows him back to the bedroom, but his furrowed eyebrows immediately go up upon seeing the email.

_Dear Chanyeol,_

_How are you? I’m really happy to get your email. I will be arranging your arrival with my secretary, please send me everyone’s full names so I can book the flight tickets. Is this Friday okay with you?_

_Call me. +852-xxxxxxxx_

_Regards,_

_Wu Yifan_

“I’m saving his number now, before you decide to become stupid again and delete this email,” Kyungsoo grabs his own phone to punch Yifan’s number. Chanyeol pouts but doesn’t say anything. He knows better than refute Kyungsoo’s words. “I’ll tell Katerina. You write your name and mine while I confirm their names to her.”

Chanyeol only nods at him before Kyungsoo flees out of the room, probably to Chanyeol’s room to inform Katerina about the news. “Park Chanyeol”, “Doh Kyungsoo”, he types on the blank body of the email. He scrolls back to Yifan’s reply, still not believing that his ex-boyfriend even as far as replies with his private email. A smile slowly blooms on his lips, feeling touched by how kind Yifan is even after their rough breakup.

“I’ve sent you their complete names via Kakaotalk, look it up,” Kyungsoo comes back to the room while on his phone, immediately furrowing when he sees Chanyeol’s smile. “Something happened?”

“Nothing,” Chanyeol replies, copying the info Kyungsoo sent to his Kakaotalk. “It’s just… it’s nice.”

As if knowing what Chanyeol meant by ‘nice’, Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I told you, you were stupid.”

“Shut up,” Chanyeol pouts again as he presses ‘send’.

*****

Chanyeol’s excitement immediately dampens when he sees an unknown man holding an iPad with **‘PARK CHANYEOL & FAMILY’** written on it at the arrival area of Hong Kong International Airport.

“I’m Zhang Yixing. Let me help you with your luggage,” the man introduces himself, before signaling a helper to come and push the trolleys to their designated car.

“No Yifan?” Chanyeol asks him, already hating the obvious disappointment in his tone.

“He’s in the middle of emergency meeting right now,” Yixing informs him. “But he will meet you all at dinner this evening.” He then turns to the little girl at Chanyeol’s right. “You must be Sophia,” he smiles widely. “Your dad asked me to give this to you.”

“My dad?” Sophia’s eyes twinkle at the sight of small Teddy bear in a pink tutu skirt given by Yixing. “Thank you, Mr. Zhang!”

“You must be very tired, let me bring you to your hotel to take a rest before dinner,” Yixing nods at all of them, asking them to come with him. Yifan told Chanyeol that he would send them a car, but Chanyeol didn’t expect it to be a luxury van. Sophia squeals and hops on to the middle recliner, placing her new doll on the other recliner beside her. Kyungsoo laughs at her antics and proceeds to go to the behind seat with Katerina.

“May I sit with your bear?” Chanyeol asks the little girl with a slight bow. “She can sit on my _veeeeery_ comfortable lap.”

She giggles at his action and says yes. Chanyeol holds onto her bear all the way to the hotel.

Their car stops at a luxury hotel and they are led up to the very high floor. Yixing informs them that Yifan has booked three suite rooms for them, and they will have the dinner at the dining in the hotel at 7.

Chanyeol stares blankly at the harbor outside his room window, releasing a very long sigh. It is a very pretty room, with even prettier view, and he is reminded by their vacation to Beijing that feels like a very long time ago. Yifan had promised to bring him to Hong Kong, but fate decided to mock him and bring him to the promised place in this kind of situation.

With a heavy heart he begins to unpack, preparing what he will wear for dinner. He opts for semi-formal attire since it is a very elegant hotel which means the same level of elegance for the restaurant. Why didn’t Yifan say anything about dressing nicely on their chats? Chanyeol grumbles inwardly as he pulls out a pair of slacks from his luggage.

He regrets not bringing the white shirt Yifan liked so much, but he catches and kicks his figurative self in the shin because this is not a date Park Chanyeol what the fuck? Are you really trying to get back to your ex at this kind of situation????

Chanyeol kicks himself again three times before hanging the blue shirt in the closet. Since his ex-boyfriend didn’t tell him about any dress code, any shirt will do for now.

After hanging all his clothes, he lies on the very soft bed to catch some nap. Maybe, maybe his heart will be ready when he feels more refreshed later.

*****

Chanyeol is definitely wrong.

The restaurant is even more lavish and elegant than he has ever imagined.

Sophia looks like a real princess with her pretty _‘Beauty and the Beast’_ inspired yellow dress, looking at the surrounding with awe as she holds onto her grandmother’s hand and her new bear in the other hand. The walk through rows of tables as they follow the restaurant manager seems endless. Chanyeol’s heart beats faster as he walks, his breath hitches when Kyungsoo at his side holds his clammy hand briefly.

“Relax, you look constipated,” Kyungsoo murmurs. “I’m sure you don’t want Yifan to see you after a long time looking like you are about to faint.”

Chanyeol gulps and nods at his friend, and Kyungsoo lets his hand go. They walk even further into a more private area, and he immediately spots Yifan sitting alone at the middle of the table.

Of course Chanyeol can spot Wu Yifan anytime and anywhere; even with tired eyes and slightly ruffled white shirt, Yifan still looks so handsome. He momentarily stops when the man looks up from his phone and meets his eyes. Yifan smiles at him for a second before he shifts his glance to the others and eventually Sophia.

Chanyeol follows his glance and looks at the only little girl of the room, who is holding her grandma’s hand tightly. Her eyes shine with curiosity, but also a hint of fear. Chanyeol notices that it’s the same look she sported when they first met, and he guesses that it has something to do with his and Yifan’s height. She visibly relaxes when Yifan crouches in front of her and pulls out another bear, but this time with black-white tuxedo.

“Hello, little princess,” Yifan says softly. Chanyeol misses that tone when he spoke to him. “I’m your father, and I have really wanted to see you. Will you forgive me for not coming to pick you up this afternoon?”

“You wanted to see me?” Sophia asks shyly, reaching out to the new bear that is clearly the couple of the bear she got earlier. “Really?” She looks back to her grandma who nods at her.

“Yes, he is your father. You always asked mommy about him, didn’t you?” Katerina also goes crouching down behind Sophia. “Do you want to introduce yourself to daddy?”

Sophia nods first before turning back to Yifan, “My name is Sophia, I am 6 years old this year.”

Chanyeol turns his head when Yifan comes closer and hugs his long-lost daughter. It’s a touching moment, and he feels like an outsider intruding such intimate moment, like he shouldn’t even be in the frame from the first place. He looks at his side and finds Kyungsoo’s gaze on him, watching him carefully. He inwardly thanks his friend for his endless care for him, but right now he cannot feel soothed by his presence and he again feels guilty because of that.

The dinner goes smoothly, too smoothly that Chanyeol feels it surreal. He follows the flow and floats around the conversations almost like autopilot, and he finally comes to his sense when he waves his bye to Yifan who goes to Sophia’s and Katerina’s room to tuck her to bed.

“You okay?” Kyungsoo nudges him with his elbow.

“I don’t know,” he decides to be a little honest to his friend. He really doesn’t know how he feels.

Kyungsoo pats his upper arm twice as a reply before going to his own room. Chanyeol is left alone at the corridor, walking back to his room as it’s the only thing he should do at the moment. The bell of his room suddenly rings a few minutes after he comes out of the room, and he should’ve predicted that it was Yifan he would see at the other side of the door.

Yifan holds his wrist when Chanyeol’s brain is about to get into fight-or-flight mode. His hold is soft yet firm, and Chanyeol knows there’s no way he can shake the other guy off for the night.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure.” Chanyeol opens the door wider to let Yifan in. The guy walks into the room slowly, as if waiting for Chanyeol to come with him, and they arrive to sit in the living room of the suite. “How are you?”

Chanyeol can see from the warm light of the room that Yifan is not a hundred percent okay. But his ex gives him a relaxed and warm smile as an answer. “I’m better right now, because of you.” Chanyeol visibly grimaces at the overly cheesy ment. “Sorry, too soon?” Yifan asks, apologizing tone but definitely not apologizing at all.

“I’m glad,” Chanyeol decides to react. He looks at Yifan better now and he can see that the man in front of him is actually in his work attire. So Yixing wasn’t lying when he said that Yifan was in a meeting. “I heard you had an emergency meeting earlier today.”

“Yeah, one of partner companies got tangled into a tax scandal so we had a sudden meeting to decide our next plans,” Yifan massages his forehead when he’s sharing the overall story to Chanyeol. “I’m sorry for dumping it all to you at our first meeting after a long time. I should’ve known better.”

“It’s much better than awkward silences that might’ve happened otherwise,” Chanyeol chuckles. “It must be hard to get into that kind of situation.”

“Yeah,” Yifan stops his head massage and closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I honestly don’t remember the last time I had time to take a breath and think. And to talk to anyone aside those people related to work.”

Chanyeol feels an immense guilt at realizing how hard it is to Yifan to live here, to take over something he didn’t ask yet he does anyway out of obligation. Chanyeol was stupid and childish for asking to break up without knowing his boyfriend’s position first.

“Yifan, I’m sorry.”

“Eh, why?” Yifan looks up, looking at him with a sheer of innocence. Only Yifan can switch from being a fully respectable adult to an innocent and borderline foolish child, and vice versa. Chanyeol fights hard not to smile at that.

“I shouldn’t have broken up with you so suddenly like that. It was completely immature of me.”

“You need time, right?” Yifan still looks at him with that childlike gaze. “I understand.”

“But I shouldn’t have as far as deleted your phone number and blocked you.”

“Ah,” Yifan finally gets what he means. “Yeah, it was bad of you. I was really sad but I know I hurt you. But I’m okay now, so I guess I’m okay? Are we okay?”

“It’s just…” Chanyeol lets out a long sigh before looking at Yifan once again. “I know it was so stupid, but at that time I felt betrayed… that you didn’t even consider asking me to come with you and instead told me to wait. Just wait. You didn’t even come to talk to me in person, you called with your office phone. You had promised you would come back after two weeks, yet it was prolonged to one month and you suddenly told me _over a phone call_ that you couldn’t go home for at least a year. Now that I can think clearly and understand your position better, although not fully, I am really sorry for the decision I took. I should’ve tried harder. I shouldn’t have decided one-sidedly because it takes two people to form a relationship. I hope you understand by now why I did that and accept my apology.”

“I…” Chanyeol didn’t directly put the blame to Yifan, but surely his outburst made his ex-boyfriend a bit speechless. “I have been thinking about what I had said over and over for the past months. Especially when I’m in the bathroom and on the way to work. I was feeling overwhelmed at that time, and extremely guilty that I even forgot about you. I called you out of panic, actually. I called you immediately after an internal meeting; I had wanted to tell you that I really wanted to go home, but instead my mouth told you the harsh truth that _I couldn’t go home_. I was really dumb, and I panicked even more at what I had said. My brain instructed me to explain the situation, but my heart came out to beg you to wait for me. It was really chaotic, until now I don’t remember how that phone call actually ended. I couldn’t reach you again, and I was flooded with the overwhelming amount of responsibility. I was truly happy when Yixing said that there was a strange email from Korea that I should check out. I was really happy that I finally had the chance to meet you again. You don’t know how happy you have made me in the last few days, Chanyeol-ah. I’m sorry for hurting you, but now I know better. Will you forgive me?”

Chanyeol nods at Yifan’s speech, and he looks at his lap that’s now a bit wet by his tears. He doesn’t realize that Yifan has stood up and walked to hug him tightly, making him cry harder.

“I was afraid,” says Chanyeol in between his small sobs. “That you would’ve found someone. You have a child now. You might want to make a bigger family. I can’t give you children, and I was really scared that you will not want to get back with me. I still am.”

“Silly,” Yifan kisses his temple softly as he hugs Chanyeol even tighter. “Sophia is my child, but you are my love. Don’t doubt me, please. I will make you believe again.”

It is after his cry calmed down and they decided to lie down in bed, Chanyeol asks Yifan again. “What now?”

“I don’t know honestly,” answers Yifan, fingers still playing with Chanyeol’s hair strands. “I need to talk to Katerina, and I have to get to know Sophia better. You have a business to run in Korea and I think you shouldn’t leave that for me. But we are in this together, right?”

“I can leave my restaurant and come with you.”

“Don’t burden your mom more,” Yifan flicks his forehead gently. “I will think of any possibility we can do. I can’t promise anything, but I can only promise you that everything will be better.”

Chanyeol nods and lies his head back to Yifan’s chest. Life’s not supposed to be easy, but a life worth living is the life worth fighting for. He knows that by heart, and he knows, too, that he won’t be fighting alone.

“Come to Disneyland with me and Sophia tomorrow?”

He smiles and nods, humming his reply before closing his eyes to finally get the best sleep he has in the past months, all while feeling Yifan’s kiss at the top of his head. Disneyland seems like a nice place to officially start over.


End file.
